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Board hears multiple positive coliform tests; discusses chlorination, tank cleaning and contractor work
Summary
Trustees were told repeated positive coliform results prompted recommendations to chlorinate wells, scour and retest tanks, and consider hiring contractors to perform cleaning and add valves so future maintenance can be done without shutting the whole campus.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the meeting addressing water-quality concerns after consultants reported repeated positive coliform results in district testing. Staff and board members described a multi-step recommendation from engineers: perform a pre-clean test, chlorinate the system, drain and scour pressure tanks, flush and retest, and then consider adding valves so a single tank can be serviced without shutting water to the entire campus.
The district said the wells are roughly 30 years old and that sediment in the wells and tanks may provide a refuge where bacteria persist. Staff said the recommended work would include scour-and-blowout procedures for wells and professional cleaning of pressure tanks; the district has not yet received formal cost estimates for that work. Board members discussed whether to hire a specialist or use local plumbers for initial chlorination and tank flushing and asked staff to get formal quotes.
Board members also raised related maintenance items consultants flagged: an obsolete pipe linking the 300 building to the main manifold that should be disconnected to avoid any back-contamination risk, and a staff-room refrigerator water connection that should be cut and sealed. Trustees discussed adding isolation valves to reduce future operational disruptions.
The board did not adopt a final scope or vendor at the meeting; members directed staff to pursue quotes, check whether OPI or other funding would cover any of the work, and prioritize pre- and post-treatment testing to confirm whether chlorination and mechanical cleaning resolve the positive coliform findings. The district emphasized it will schedule work so it does not interfere with summer school operations and will plan for safety precautions when water is brought back online (staff warned about ‘nasty-looking’ water after recharging lines).
